As of May 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics listed more than 100 positions in the restaurant industry. In full-service restaurants, the 4.5 million workers made a mean wage of $10.92 per hour or $22,710 per year. In limited-service eating places, which include fast-food eateries, mean wages for 4.1 million employees ran $9.71 per hour or $20,210 per year. The highest-paid positions in both categories earned far higher compensation than these averages.

Chief Executive Officers

In restaurants that are part of corporations or that consist of several facilities, the chief executive officer earns the highest wages. In 2011, according to the BLS, mean salaries were $66.38 per hour or $138,080 per year in full-service restaurants. They averaged $68.75 per hour or $142,990 per year in limited-service restaurants. Chief executive officers justify their high compensation by setting overall corporate goals and defining the strategies to achieve them. They meet frequently with department heads, find ways to cut costs and improve profits, and direct finances and budgets. CEOs typically have a bachelor’s or master’s degree plus several years of management experience.

General Managers

In individual restaurants, the general or operations manager often holds the highest-paid position. In 2011, these individuals made a mean $36.52 per hour or $75,970 per year in full-service restaurants. They earned $33.12 per hour or $68,900 per year in limited-service restaurants. They oversee daily activities at their locations and may meet with the CEO or other restaurant managers to advance corporate goals. They hire and fire restaurant staff, train and promote them, and deal with customer issues that subordinates can't solve. As with other top executives, general managers have a bachelor’s or master’s degree but may have started as a server or at another entry-level position before being advanced to positions with more responsibility.

Chefs

Among food preparation and serving occupations, chefs soared with the highest mean wages of $21.57 per hour or $44,870 per year in full-service restaurants in 2011. They received a mean $16.78 per hour or $34,910 per year in limited-service restaurants. Chefs manage their kitchens and oversee food preparation. They plan menus and develop recipes, order cooking materials as needed, accept deliveries of food and supplies, inspect supplies and work areas for cleanliness and efficiency, and hire and train subordinate cooks and kitchen staff. Chefs may have honed their skills through years of work. Formal training in two-year or four-year programs is also available from culinary schools or colleges.

Servers

More commonly known as waiters and waitresses, food servers averaged a mean wage of $9.80 per hour or $20,380 per year in 2011. However, they also could earn the highest wages of $14.48 per hour or $30,110 per year or make the lowest salaries of $7.17 per hour or $14,920 per year. Both full-service and limited-service restaurants showed wages below the mean at $9.69 per hour or $20,160 per year and $8.69 per hour or $18,070 per year, respectively. The highest-paid employers for the profession were travel arrangement and reservation services with mean compensation at $13.38 per hour or $27,830 per year.

About the Author

Aurelio Locsin has been writing professionally since 1982. He published his first book in 1996 and is a frequent contributor to many online publications, specializing in consumer, business and technical topics. Locsin holds a Bachelor of Arts in scientific and technical communications from the University of Washington.